A fifth century heretic in modern clothes is abroad on the Australian Christian scene. To find out what he’s doing here and why he’s talking so much about baptism, read on…
Author Archives: The Briefing
Where are the entrepreneurs?
One of the best-kept secrets in the Christian world is that gospel work needs money. Yes, Jesus did say “You cannot serve God and Money” and Paul backed him up with “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”-So its understandable that Christians are loathe to give the subject too much airplay. (more…)
Commentary: Romans, Joshua
ROMANS
INTRODUCTORY STUDIES
K.P. Donfried’s The Roman’s Debate (Augsburg, 1977), a collection of essays on the purpose of Romans, is a good introduction to this epistle.
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Building the Christian library: The Oxford Bible Atlas
Anyone who is trying to teach stories from the Bible needs some background help. We want to be able to bring the story to life, with vivid details about the distance people travelled, or the weather they experienced, or the military threats they lived under.
You CAN get there from here
Everyday Ministry
“Where do you want to go?” the old farmer responded. He leaned a little farther out from his car window and listened again to the hitch-hiker’s question. “No, no,” he replied at last with a wry smile, “No, I’m sorry: you can’t get there from here”.
Briefly speaking
Interchange
Mercy killing becoming more acceptable
Only in America 1
The Mysteries of Ordination
Only in America 2
Rodney Macready replies
Interchange
The land of the Big Banana
THE LAND OF THE BIG BANANA
Tourism has been discovered by our politicians. We have finally ‘found ourselves’ and now we want the world to find us too. Crocodile Dundee (the real name of screen character Paul Hogan) has exhorted us to “Smile and say g’day” to foreigners who come to our shores. Economists have waxed lyrical about the potential for profits and job creation that lie in the tourist industry. (more…)
Cultbusters?
Our community is both fascinated and repulsed by the cults, but what should our attitude be? Should Evangelicals be persecuting and seeking to eradicate the cults? Or is religious freedom a more important principle? The Briefing examines the issues.
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Commentary: Acts, Deuteronomy
ACTS
INTRODUCTORY STUDIES
I. H. Marshall’s Luke-Historian and Theologian (Paternoster, 1970) and R. Maddox’s The Purpose of Luke-Acts (T & T Clark) are worthwhile starters to the book of Acts. There are also some very helpful articles in Apostolic History and The Gospel (Paternoster, 1970) by W.W. Gasque and R. P. Martin. (more…)
Building the Christian library: The one-volume commentary
THE ONE VOLUME COMMENTARY
Among the many books that should be part of a basic library, ‘a one volume commentary’ is a necessity. It is almost impossible for most of us to have the best available commentary for every book of the Bible on our shelves. And even if we could, it is still valuable to have the second comment on themes or issues that rise in a given book in order to stimulate our own thoughts. (more…)